from the ashes
by Sasha Marie
Summary: Zim has nothing left so he seeks his enemy out for a dignified death. but he gets friend and a home instead. R&R please


AN: I really don't give a rat if Zim seems completely out of character. It's supposed to be that way. If you review this just to tell me that Zim is ooc I will call you a douche and tell you to read this CAREFULLY. Sorry if this seems kinda mean for me to say but the first person to point out the obvious gets slapped with a herring. Now on to the fiction. I AM THE WALRUS IAM THE WALRUS KOO KOO KACHOO!!! Oh and the passage before the story is my free verse poem called torn apart. DO NOT STEAL!!!

from the ashes

_Having your world ripped apart will do funny things to a person. It'll make you hurt and seek comfort, often from anyone even if the only person you have is your worst enemy you'll go to them like metal drawn to a magnet looking for comfort. It'll make you cry and scream and writhe. And there is nothing you can do to stop the pain. Nothing you can do to escape but die. And even then it haunts you and the pain makes you roam the earth forever as a tormented spirit. Sometimes we rise above this pain, sometimes we don't. Depression is a nasty foe and never gives you a chance before it swallows you whole. It chases away the sun and leaves you in a world of charcoal tones and black. It leaves us in a barren wasteland where the trees are black and twisted, devoid of leaves and the bark cuts into your soul. Where the fire called anger lies dormant just beneath the surface of the land and rushes up into the sky when uncovered. It is in this wasteland that we see ourselves for what we are. Weak._

Zim knocked on the door. His clothes were ripped and torn and dirty. One of his antennae was too sore to move and one of his eyes was turning a discolored orange. He was covered in bruises and cuts. He was even walking with a slight limp and one arm was hanging limply at his side. He looked horrible to say the very least.

Professor Membrane opened the door and let the disguised alien in. He called out to Dib and told him his little foreign friend was here to see him. Zim walked into the living room where the human was watching mysterious mysteries and sat on the couch next to him. Dib scowled and glared at the alien. "Is there something I can help you with Zim? I'm kinda busy." Zim just shook his head rested his head on the boy's thigh. Dib raised an eyebrow but didn't complain since Zim was being quiet and went back to watching his show.

After a few minutes the show ended and Dib picked Zim up off his lap. "Okay Zim what's up? You're acting way too weird." Zim shook his head and pointed to Dib's bedroom. Dib sighed leading the alien into his last haven and closed the door behind them both. "So what is it Zim?" Zim blinked at him slowly then hugged Dib close being quite careful of the boy's wounded shoulder and spoke with a voice that sounded like he'd been forced to swallow broken glass. "You almost got killed the other day..." Dib glared but didn't move. "Yeah, and?" Zim sighed softly. "If anyone kills you it will be me. You are Zim's enemy therefore nobody kills me but you, understand?"

Dib nodded. "Why are you bringing this up now Zim?" Zim hugged the boy even tighter and buried his face in Dib's chest. "I'm asking you to kill me." Dib shoved the alien off him immediately. "Why?" Zim sighed and got up off the floor and took off his disguise. "I have nothing left. They took everything, the base, Gir even my voot. I have nothing but my pak and a few spare clothes and disguises."

Dib watched dumbstruck as Zim did a very un-Zim like thing and broke down crying at his feet. He did the only thing he knew to do to someone in pain. He picked Zim off the floor and hugged him tight. "I'm not going to kill you Zim." Zim looked up shiny eyed at Dib and sniffled. "Why not?" Dib petted Zim's good antennae. "Because that's being a coward Zim." Dib hugged the alien to his chest and laid a kiss on top of Zim's head.

"Why don't you live here? It'd be kinda cool to have an alien in the house and I promise not to hound you anymore." Zim thought that over for a while. "You mean you'd give up trying to expose me and let me live in your house?" Dib nodded and smiled. "We can fix up the guest room or we could share this room." Zim smiled up at Dib. "That would...be nice." Dib patted Zim's head. "I'll go tell Dad that you're moving in with us since you have nowhere else to stay." With that Dib was gone and Zim was left alone in the room. He sat on the bed and looked around curiously.

Finally Dib came back in with his dad right behind him. "So you're little foreign friend has absolutely _nowhere_ else to go?" Dib nodded. Professor Membrane sighed and agreed to let Zim stay. Professor Membrane looked at Zim quizzically. "Have you got pink eye?" The undisguised Zim nodded. The professor handed him a some medicine and told him how to take and said it's clear up the pink eye in only three days. Side effects may include: genetic mutation, nausea, growing extra body parts, death and superpowers. Zim quickly decided to never touch any of the medicine in the house. With that the professor left the boys alone and they went about setting things up for Zim to be able to live in the house.

_Even if all you have is your worst enemy it's better than nothing at all. Even if depression has set in on you never give in. Never let it win over you. Fight it tooth and nail and win. Do this and you can rise from the ashes as I did._

Fin


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